


Princesses

by 50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Cute Kids, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Fantasy, M/M, Multi, Religious Fanaticism, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret/pseuds/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret
Summary: The events of canon, stretched over a longer timeline for a slower burn
Relationships: (ambiguous) - Relationship, Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Catra & Kyle & Lonnie & Rogelio (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Angella/Micah (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Kyle & Lonnie & Rogelio & Scorpia (She-Ra), Entrapta & Hordak (She-Ra), George/Lance (She-Ra), Glimmer/Bow, Kyle & Rogelio (She-Ra), Light Hope/Mara (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra)
Kudos: 7





	1. Child of The Horde

“Never be afraid.” Sergeant Mar said.

“Are you ever afraid?” Catra asked. 

Lonnie shot Catra a glare. 

“Whenever I start to get scared,” Sergeant Mar said, smiling gently “I just remember that my team has my back.”

* * *

“What happened to Sergeant Mar?” Adora asked, when the ceremony was over, and Sergeant Mar’s body had been burned away. 

“She died bravely, protecting the horde.” said Shadow Weaver, “So that we could be safe.”

* * *

”Again.” said Shadow Weaver. 

Adora moved first, with a lunge, and Catra leapt out of the way, sliding underneath Adora and kicking up. 

Adora rolled back and waited for Catra’s next attack. Catra aimed a kick at her and Adora caught Catra by the ankle, unbalancing her. The fight was over quickly after that. 

“Catra!” Shadow Weaver said sharply. “Do not fall into a predictable pattern! Adora won because you telegraphed your movements!...Lonnie! Don’t get too comfortable. You won’t always be up against a weaker opponent.” 

Kyle whined and Rogelio switched places with him. 

“Again!”

* * *

Adora woke up and got dressed quickly. She no longer needed a buzzing alarm, as she had in childhood. Her body was set to the Horde's schedule. She clipped on her belt. Pulled on her boots. Put her hair up, away from her eyes. Put on her training armor: black metal and glowing electric green tech. 

She started her morning with a solid attack on the punching bag in the locker rooms. She didn't have much time before training, so she punched and kicked at the bag as she brushed her teeth, grunting with effort. She turned briefly from the bag to spit toothpaste into the sink. Her face in the mirror was stern, ready for battle. She practiced a salute into the mirror and then quickly pulled finger-guns. 

"beew-bew" she said, firing the finger guns into the mirror.

She holstered the imaginary weapons as she turned back to the doorway, and tested out a few practice punches. 

AS she passed the bag again, she stopped, and turned. Still taped to the bag was a picture of a tyrant, grinning evilly over a crowd of pleading civilians. "Hey, Princess" Adora challenged the target, "You lookin' at me?" Adora shouted and delivered a kick, right to the center of the tyrant's face. The bag swung back and forth with the force of it. 

The PA chimed. "All squadrons, report to training area immediately for evaluation!" 

* * *

Adora smiled as she raced to the training area. Today was the big day. The annual evaluation. 

Rogelio was already there, standing on his platform. Adora ran up to her own platform and it went from a magenta to a glowing green. Kyle and Lonnie were close behind, and they sighed in relief when they reached their platforms on either side of Adora, just in time. Kyle adjusted his glowing sim-goggles. 

"psst!" Adora whispered, "Anyone seen Catra?" 

Lonnie made a vague i-dunno sort of sound and shrugged. Rogelio and Kyle just shook their heads. 

Adora scoffed. "Not again." 

"At attention, Cadets," the Instructor barked, interrupting Adora's thoughts, "Your simulation is about to begin. Here's your scenario. You'll be passing through the treacherous Whispering Woods to reach the heart of the rebel insurgency, Brightmoon."

Next to Adora, Kyle shuddered. The twisted woods, corners filled with flickering and unidentifiable shapes, flashed on the holographic screen.

“Your mission is to defeat the Queen of the Princesses and liberate Bright Moon in Lord Hordak’s name.” 

Well, the scenario was definitely an intense one today. Adora had assumed that the goal would be to find and defeat the Thaymor Fortress, at most. 

“Where is Catra?” The Instructor demanded.

“She will be here,” Adora tried to sound confident, “I promise.” 

“Mm-hmm,” the Instructor grunted skeptically, “...The Whispering Woods is full of princesses. Vicious, violent instigators. They will take you out if given the chance. Don’t give it to them.” 

The big training room doors slid open, revealing a jungle of huge beams meant to mimic trees. The four of them filed in, scanning their surroundings. 

“Good luck, recruits” The Instructor called after them. 

In the limbs of one of the “trees” Adora spotted a bot, projecting the hologram of a glowering princess. Two more clawed their way alongside. “Watch out!” 

The team broke apart, dodging a laser-beam. 

“Oh, no, no no!” Kyle chanted, as he ran. 

Rogelio leapt over a plain bot, that was shooting lasers at random and the others followed his lead, using the trees as cover.

Adora threw an explosive, and it landed and attached to one of the bots firing from the trees. The bot exploded. 

“Come on,” Adora called out, waving her team over. “This way!” 

A figure growled from the shadows, unnoticed by the team.

One by one, adora lead the others over a fallen tree. Lonnie. Rogelio. Kyle tripped and a laser caught him in the chest. He fell back and twitched with the shock. The others stopped and rushed to his side. Adora turned him onto his back. His chest-plate buzzed and a red X appeared.

“Aw, dang it!” Kyle groaned.

“Seriously, Kyle?” Adora said. 

“Bra-vo.” added Lonnie. 

Rogelio just shook his head in disappointment.

At a mechanical sound, they all looked up. The princesses had gathered in the trees above them. 

“Seriously, Kyle?!” Lonnie yelled, as laser-fire rained down. Adora reached up to just barely block a blast to her face, using her gauntlet. Rogelio did the same. 

“Run!” Adora yelled. The princesses were close behind. Kyle’s screw-up had cost the team badly. He lay motionless as the bots crawled over the trees, still firing. 

Adora and the others kept their gauntlets up, deflecting blast after blast.

A buzzing sounded. “Adora!” Lonnie shouted. 

Adora looked down. The panels at her feet had turned a warning orange. She stumbled away as they turned red and fell away, every new panel she touched turning orange and then red too. She gasped. A small bot levitated from an existing sink-hole and extended metal legs down to the ground. A projected image of the Queen hovered in front of it, and it shot at the ground, turning more panels red. Lonnie and Rogelio dodged out of the way just as the panels fell. Adora extended her staff and ran at the bot, using the weapon as a vault to launch herself into the air. She landed on a ledge of the bot, near the face, and batted away it’s laser turrets, finally stabbing it in the screen. 

Behind her, the figure from the woods stepped silently over the fallen panels.

The bot exploded as Adora lept away and rolled onto the ground. The bot receded into the floor, broken, and the panels beneath Adora glowed. 

The figure from the woods approached the bot, and kicked a clinging leg from the edge of the panels, sending the whole thing crashing down the hole. She pointed to the panels glowing under Adora. An alarm beeped and the panel receded. Adora yelled and grabbed at her staff. Jamming it between the walls.

“Hey, Adora. How’s it hanging?” 

Adora glared. Her hand held onto the staff, building on the calluses of her palm. “Catra. Did you really show up late and let us do all the hard parts? That is low. Even for you.” 

“Aw.” Catra giggled. “You know nothing’s too low for me.” She reached down, offering her hand to Adora. “Now come on, you look stupid hanging down there.” 

Adora rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She reached up to Catra and took her hand, pulling the staff out from where it was lodged. 

The PA beeped and the woman on the other end announced “ _Training exercise successfully completed.”_

* * *

Adora took her jacket and belt out of her locker. Catra was still laughing. “You should have seen your face! You were like _Aah! No! Betrayalll!_ Catra mimed Adora’s flailing fall, in slow motion. 

“Oh, come on, Catra. We’re senior cadets now.” She shut her locker door, and pushed away her smile. “I can’t believe you’re pulling such childish, immature, -- Is that a mouse!?” 

Catra’s fur stood on end and her tail puffed up, “What?! Where?!” 

Adora cackled. “Are you ever going to not fall for that?”

“I don’t know. Are you ever going to let it go? That was one time.” 

“I know, but for some reason it’s always funny.” 

Catra smiled begrudgingly. 

“Adora,” Shadow weaver interrupted, breaking the easy calm. Adora stood dutifully at attention, as Shadow Weaver emerged into the fluorescent light. Silently, Adora willed Catra to straighten up. Thankfully, even Catra wasn’t that careless. She pushed herself up from where she was leaning on the lockers. Still, she rested a hand casually on her hip. 

“Shadow Weaver,” Adora acknowledged. 

“You have done well. You’ve completed your training course in record time.” 

“Uh, well, that wasn’t just me. You know, Catra did too,” Adora pulled Catra to her side. Catra glared at Adora

“Ah yes,” Shadow Weaver sighed, “How someone as unmotivated as _you_ completed the course in that time, I’ll never know.” 

“Always serving up those pep talks, huh, Shadow Weaver?” Catra smirked.

“Silence!” The tone gave Adora shivers, and Catra’s fur puffed up. “Do not be flippant with _me_ , Cadet.” The shadows that always followed their namesake curled over the side Catra’s face. 

“Sorry, Shadow Weaver.” 

“Adora,” Shadow Weaver beckoned, “Walk with me.” 

Adora gave Catra an anxious look. Catra huffed. 

“Adora!” 

Adora tried to give Catra a reassuring smile before she hurried after Shadow Weaver, and the door slid closed behind her. 

“Lord Hordak has been watching you. He thinks you are a fine candidate for Force Captain.”

“Really? Force Captain? Lord Hordak said that about me?” 

“Oh yes. He sees great promise in you. In fact, he has elected you the honor of leading a squadron in the invasion against the Fortress of Thaymor.”

“Thaymor?” Adora stopped walking in surprise, “You mean we’re finally seeing active duty?” 

“ _You_ are seeing active duty.”

“But...I’ll be able to bring my team along, right?” 

“Your _team_ is not ready. They’ll only slow you down,” Shadow Weaver said. 

Adora took a deep breath before following Shadow Weaver down the hall again, “Shadow Weaver, with respect, they’ve been training hard for this, too. And Catra, all she wants is to get out there and prove herself.”

“Then she should have worked harder to prove herself _to me,_ ” Shadow Weaver said sharply, “This is what I raised you for, Adora.” In Shadow Weaver’s extended hand, she held a badge, emblazoned with the Horde’s wings. “Now is _your_ chance to prove yourself.” 

Adora picked the badge up. 

“I saw talent in you the moment I first found you. With you at the forefront, we will crush the Bright Moon once and for all. Do not disappoint me.” 

* * *

"What was my family was like?" Adora had asked. 

"I don't know, Adora." Shadow Weaver had said sadly, "They were killed by the Princesses before I ever met them. You were all that was left. That whole village, just gone...” Shadow Weaver’s voice had trailed away. 

“The Horde is gonna stop them, though, right?” Adora always asked, though the story was familiar. 

“We’re doing everything we can. And someday, you can help. You can make sure they don’t hurt anyone else.” 

“I will.” Adora had said.


	2. The Sword- Part 1

Adora smiled down at the badge, and the next thing she knew she was on the floor of the balcony, grunting, trying to catch her breath. 

"What'd she say? Hey, what's this?" Catra grabbed the badge and lept away. 

"Hey! Give it back." 

Catra easily lept up onto a metal pipe, away from Adora's reaching hand. "No way. You've been promoted?" 

"Well, kind of. I mean, yeah, I guess. Heh. But it's not a big deal." 

Catra jumped back down to put her hands on Adora's shoulders. "Are you kidding? That is awesome. We're gonna see the world and conquer it. Adora, I need to blow something up." Catra purred and her eyes went wide. 

"Um..." 

"What?" Catra snapped out of it. 

"Shadow Weaver says you're not coming." 

"What? My time was just as good as yours today. What is her problem with me?"

"I mean, you are kind of disrespectful." 

"Why should I respect her? She's just bitter that she doesn't have any real power that doesn't come from Hordak and everyone knows it. I guess it sure must be easy being a people pleaser like you." 

"I am not a pe-" but Catra was already leaping to the wall, gripping the edges of the metal plating and climbing away. "Catra, wait!" Adora sighed and ran after her. The sun was setting, huge and orange in the sky. Adora barely had to squint against it to aim the grapple hook at the railing. She pulled herself up to the roof where Catra was sulking. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't even think you wanted to be a Force Captain."

"I don't. Here, take your stupid badge." Catra tossed the badge back over her shoulder and slumped in on herself, her tail curling around her feet where she perched on the railing.

Adora caught the badge. "Come on, Catra. I was hoping you could be, I don't know, happy for me." 

Catra sat up a little. "Ugh, whatever. It's not like I even care. I just wanna get out of this dump at some point before I die of boredom. I wonder what's even outside the Fright Zone anyway." she looked over the endless twisting metal and pipes, the green gas shooting up through a haze of smoke. 

Adora held up a set of (stolen) keys. "Why don't we go find out." She smiled.

"I take it all back!" Catra laughed, "You're officially awesome." 

* * *

The skiff sputtered to life and launched across the desert.

"I can't believe you actually stole a skiff! 

"Borrowed. Please don't make me regret this." 

"I've always wanted to drive one of these things. Here, give me." Catra shoved Adora out of the way and grabbed the lever, yanking it forward. 

"Woah, there. Save us enough fuel to get back." 

" _That_ is a problem for future Adora and Catra." 

Adora yanked at Catra's arm. "I'm driving." 

Catra yanked back and shook Adora off.

"I want it!" Adora angled herself over Catra's shoulder's trying to get at the lever.

"Can't have it!" Catra said.

They both shouted. 

"Let me." 

"Give me. I'm doing it." 

"I want it." 

"No, I've got it." 

The skiff tilted dangerously as they wrestled, sliding out of control. "Catra!" 

They pulled back just in time, almost hitting the ... root ...a tree. The stared as the skiff drifted further into the gnarled shadows and branches.

"What is it?" 

"I think this must be the Whispering Woods."

"The monsters are probably just kid stuff. To scare us." said Catra. 

"Right." Adora agreed, scanning the trees to make sure that they couldn't move when she wasn't looking.

"But...this is where Mar died." 

"And Kee." 

"Lets go in!" 

"Wait, what?" Adora yelled.

Catra yanked the lever forward. "Whoo-hoo!" she shouted, then laughed.

They both shouted, as they narrowly avoided branches and thorns.

"Catra, slow down!" They sped towards a tree. "Catra, tree! Tree!" Adora yanked the lever up and they shot almost vertically into the air, following the grain up the trunk, winding up into the canopy, the branches growing thicker and closer together. A vine caught Adora by the throat and she was yanked out of the speeding skiff with a grunt.

"Adora!" 

Adora yelled as she fell, smacking a branch on her way down.

She groaned and opened her eyes. "Catra?" Adora put a hand to her head as she sat up and saw-

A sword. A beautiful sword, glowing in front of her. "Huh? Whoa." Adora barely registered anything else as she approached the sword. "Cool." She touched the hilt and gasped. Light was spreading from the sword, almost blinding her-

_Balance must be restored._

A huge shimmering stone floated above wavy gold.

_Etheria must seek a hero._

The sword was imprinted on the back of Adora's eyes. A huge crystal structure in the middle of the woods.

A woman in a cape with long blonde hair waving behind her. 

_A baby crying_

The woman turned and it was Adora, but her eyes were glowing a bright, unnatural blue. 

"Adora, Adora." said a tall, strange figure. 

Adora opened her eyes. "Hey, Adora? Adora!" Catra was staring down at her. 

"Catra, what happened? " 

Catra was straddled over her, squinting, and her tail was lashing back and forth. "You fell off the skiff after you drove it into a tree."

Adora sat up and rubbed her head. "No. _You_ drove it into a tree." She shoved Catra away. 

"Ah, up for debate. C'mon. Let's go." 

"Wait. Where is it? Where'd it go?" 

"What?" 

"There-there was a sword. It was right here. I tried to touch it but it got really bright." 

"Are you brain damaged? Don't-be-brain-damaged! Oh, Shadow Weaver's gonna kill me." 

"I'm not brain damaged. It was here, I saw it." 

"Well there's nothing here now. So, come on, let's go." Catra tugged on Adora's ponytail.

They climbed back into the skiff. 

* * *

Adora strode down the hallways with her new pin clipped to her chest, proclaiming her a Force Captain. 

"Adora! Is that you!" Kyerella ran up to her. 

"Seems like it." said Adora. "I'm on my way to orientation right now." 

"Congrats." Kyerella gave her a slap on the back. "Should've known you'd outshine all of us, little miss perfect." 

Adora laughed. "That's _Force Captain_ little miss perfect to you!" 

Kyerella chuckled along. "Sorry, Force Captain." 

Adora waved away the apology. "Accepted. Dismissed." 

Kyerella nodded and continued on her way down the hall. Adora smiled and made her way to Orientation.

She took a seat next to the other Force Captains. "Hi," said the Captain in the seat next to Adora, "I'm Scorpia." 

"Hey. Adora," 

"I like the little poof in your hair!" 

"Oh, uh, thanks." 

"Welcome, Force Captains" said the Instructor from the front of the room. Adora turned away from Scorpia to focus on orientation.

"We have a few new faces today, so I'll start with the basics and assign you your cadets." 

A few of the more seasoned Force Captains shifted in their seats and one or two muttered.

"We are currently rapidly gaining territory thanks to the good work of our Force Captains. Your job, if you're new here, is not to drop the ball." The General looked over the rows slowly, making eye contact with the various new recruits. "While not all Princesses are currently at war with the horde, princesses are the main threat to Etheria. They are viscious, violent instigators, with no control over their own powers. Do not underestimate them. Their lack of control does not make them safe or easy to defeat, it makes them dangerous and unpredictable. The unifying force leading these Princesses into battle is Queen Angela. There is of course, the exception to this rule,...Force Captain Scorpia." 

"Hi!" Scorpia waved her pincer in the air. 

"Right..." said the Instructor, "Force Captain Scorpia is technically Princess of the former Scorpion Kingdom. She is not a threat, and has even reached the rank of Force Captain because she has never been under the corrupting influence of a runestone. Runestones give Princesses their power, as well as their violent urges. Runestones can and will induce insanity if not carefully regulated. Scorpia's grandfather recognized this, and allied himself with the Horde, rather than cling to the corrupting influence of the Runestone. Since then, Scorpia' family has shown no connection to the runestone, and Scorpia is tested regularly to verify that she is mentally and emotionally stable enough to be a Captain." 

Scorpia's face was red. Adora gave her a reassuring smile and Scorpia smiled back after a moment. 

The Instructor continued with his talk. Calling out the names of the new Captains and assigning them teams. 

"Adora!" Adora snapped to attention, "Your team will consist of cadets Marnnie, Impmug, Lonnie, and Kaibee!" He tossed a folder at her, containing their files. 


	3. The Assignment

"Adora, your team's first assignment is tomorrow. Your objective is to liberate the village of Steheath from BrightMoon control. A team of Princesses and enemy soldiers is camped nearby, terrorizing the village. Heavy propaganda may bias the civilians against you, so be prepared for that." 

* * *

Shadow Weaver was waiting for Adora outside the door, a little ways down the hallway. She beckoned. Adora glanced around and followed, breaking away from the other Force Captains. "Shadow Weaver." Adora saluted. 

"Did you appreciate my gift. I had to pull some strings but I managed to get someone from your old team under your command." 

"Yes. Thank you, Shadow Weaver." Adora said. "Would it be possible to-"

"I have done all I can, Adora. Do not be ungrateful." 

* * *

Adora paced the hallway and stared out the window. The sound of feet slamming against the metal floor was sudden. Adora jolted up to see Lonnie barrel into her and crush her in a hug. 

"Thank you!" 

"Uh...for what?" Adora wriggled. 

Lonnie pulled away "Uh, for getting me out of training, dummy! Shadow Weaver said you requested me specifically!" 

"Oh uh" Adora scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah. That's me."

"I can't believe it. We're going to see real action tomorrow! We made it!" 

"Yeah." Adora said, trying to sound happy.

* * *

Adora stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't used to sleeping in the top bunk. There were a million little things wrong with this place. Mostly, she missed Catra. She turned to Lonnie, in the next bunk over. "This is weird." 

Lonnie shrugged. "I guess so." 

* * *

They got ready and headed out the next morning before sunrise, flying a small fleet of skiffs into the woods, with bots at their sides. Adora couldn't help scanning the foliage below, looking for a sword, or at least some sort of glow. Dirt. Green leaves. Vines. Big weird flowers. No sword. Eventually, the folliage fell away and Adora looked up to see a little village. 

People were rushing out of huts, pointing to the skiffs and whispering. 

"I am here to claim Steheath in the name of the Horde." Adora projected her voice from the skiff. "I would like to meet with your authorities to officiate a transfer of power." 

The whispering increased. 

A dark-haired woman turned and broke into a run. Adora's pulse sped up. She had been warned. There were enemy forces here who would try to bring in reinforcements. "Lonnie! Runner!"

"On it!" Lonnie said, aiming a blaster at the woman. Lonnie shot and the woman fell to the ground. Smoke floated off of her body and the smell of burning flesh emanated across the village. She did not move. 

"Got her in one." Lonnie said. 

"Oh." said Adora, staring at the body. Her first enemy kill. She should probably feel proud. Adora's heart was beating faster. Maybe that was pride.

The world slowed down for a moment and then jolted back at double speed. The remaining villagers screamed and scattered. Adora signaled to the bots to circle the village and prevent any more runners. 

The villagers looked around and drew closer together, into the middle of the open area. Good. No more chaos.

Someone yelled. A girl covered in sparkles, that reflected so much light it hurt to look at her. She screamed and punched Adora in the face. Adora stumbled and fell off of the skiff. She landed on her back with a thud. Adora looked around but the girl had disappeared as quickly as she had showed up. "What?" Adora muttered. 

Everything was hazy. The enemy soldiers were destroying the town. Impmug shot at a dodging Bright Moon soldier. Villagers ducked and screamed. This was all wrong. 

Kaibee yelled and pointed his skiff at a group of enemy soldiers, piloting it down with a yell, before jumping off and rolling away at the last second. The skiff crashed, crushing the soldiers beneath. 

The bots were doing everything they could to contain the chaos, but there was only so much they could do. 

A boy with a bow and arrow was shooting them down, one by one. 

"Stop-" Adora said, not sure who she was even trying to address.

No One heard her. The battle raged on. Her head throbbed from the fall. Her helmet had at least offered some protection. She watched the chaos. She couldn't just leave her team like this she-

"Retreat!" someone yelled, but she couldn't tell if it was an enemy or one of her own. 


End file.
